On May 8, 2024, a tragic incident unfolded in Tampa, Florida, resulting in the death of Kelbys Avila, a 50-year-old man. The incident began just before 7 a.m. when deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office were called to the 9200 block of Shellgrove Court in Town ’N Country after a concerned family member reported the incident.
Upon arrival, deputies found Kelbys Avila dead from a gunshot wound.
Investigations by the detectives revealed that Avila was killed by his girlfriend, Maira Pacheco Nuñez, 58. Following the shooting, Pacheco Nuñez fled the scene in a vehicle.
Detectives quickly developed probable cause and obtained an arrest warrant for Pacheco Nuñez on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm. Within an hour of the warrant being issued, deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama spotted Pacheco Nuñez’s vehicle during a traffic stop on Interstate 10.
The situation escalated when Pacheco Nuñez took her own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the traffic stop. Baldwin County deputies used a drone to observe the suspect slumped over the steering wheel in her car and confirmed she had died from the self-inflicted wound.
The incident led to a temporary closure of the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 near the Malbis exit in Baldwin County, Alabama. Authorities from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency were involved in managing the scene.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister expressed deep sorrow over the incident, emphasizing the tragic nature of the event and urging those facing domestic issues to seek help. He reiterated that violence is never an option and that help is available for those affected by domestic violence.
